Friday, October 10, 2008

Otisville & Vassar: Bridging the Gap

Otisville Correctional Facility in Otisville, New York. Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. A 1 1/2 hour drive. Two very different institutions of higher education. One, a school of liberal arts. The other, a school of hard knocks and those knocked hard. One where the age range is 18-22. The other, 35-55. One where razor wire stifle in mostly Black and Latino men. The other where gothic buildings cradle mostly white men and women within its bubble. One where the lives of do or die Bedstuy's lives lie. The other where do or die Bedstuy was seen on MTV or heard in a Biggie rhyme.

Bridging gaps/See you can't stop it.See/When you sit here every weekAnd they sit here every weekAnd we sit here every weekWe become usAnd, see, we can never be weakcan you dig it?

Even when they portray us as son of a guns/in here b/c of gunsintentions to leave and pick up gunsAssuming we can't wait to corrupt, cajole, connivePollute and program their young white onesmindsYeah, same ole' song

Us- the crooksUs- the criminalsUs- the con artistsUs- the drug dealersUs- the murderers

You- the richYou- the innocentYou- the rightYou- the whiteMiconceptionswrong or rightGapsBump that, we bridged thatEven though you don't want that.

Now, We ain't all right.Some I won't trust in the still of the night,Without a lamp, a flashlight, or God's mightI ain't painting pictures that ain't rightDeceiving the masses about"It ain't fair""the system put me here""I don't deserve to be here"blaming everyone else for everything elseignoring that that the answers and the blamethe questions and the shamelied within self.

See, I ain't here to preachJust bridgeI ain't here to sneakJust bridgeI ain't here to freak Just bridgeI ain't here to do what you expect me to-Which is failI bridge Just bridge

When they claim that all we do is play?See, that can't be true.I've seen brother Roc cry- parole after his 5th tryDetermined "D" hug a guyYoung Anna recite & cryNice Nini sighOutstanding Oscar raise his ever radical fist to the skyVictorious ask for adviceSerious Black morph into Rigorous RobSuper Steph mature b4 my eyesJazzy J inspire me to writeDiversified open up my eyesCourageous Chris show why she's wiseAnd saw Sara smile 1...2...3...All the time

That's all you see?!That's all you see?!Nah, that's what you want to see

Like Bush huntin' WMDsEl Sun trying to convince me that Macy Gray is sexyOr Dreaming that girl Beyonce will be visiting meafter she dumps Jay-ZHey, that could happen

The point is:See,What you see are perversions within theeExaggerated to the highest degreeFantasies of your inequityMixed with apprehension of frivolty

Based on what?

Our impeccable record of integrity?Our dedicated dignity?Our desire to empower others greenEnlightening those still young & greenWhile bringing them together with those that do quarterliesAll for $13 or $14 every two weeksWorth the gray hairs--hardlyBut we do it--Daily--weekly--monthlyDon't compliment meJust respect me

See,When you sit here every weekAnd they sit here every weekAnd we sit here every weekWe become us despite all the dustDespite all the fussThe accusations & the distrustDenials and disapprovalsA common unity is builtBridges are built so strong--Foundations so strongI'm talking titanium strongBenching 310 lbs strongReal love strongCan you dig it?

Let me put my hoodie back onLet me put my hoodie back on

Inspired by the Vassar/Green Haven at Green Haven Correctional Facility started by Lawrence H. Mamiya, Ph.D. over 30 years ago, the Bridging the Gap program has created its own legacy. Started in 2005, this program has impacted my life enormously. It has empowered many, invigorated, inspired, excited, & incited social justice active-ism.

It has allowed me to see the world from behind a cage. More importantly it has allowed the world to see the PEOPLE within.

How?

The range of creativity & subject matter we use minimizes the socioeconomic differences between the two communities-- Otisville and Vassar. When we are able to acknowledge our differences and realize how minimal they are to our many similarities, we gain a sense of community-- a common unity.

Everyone is in constant transition, whether it be physically, mentally, or spiritually. This program has linked individuals who probably wouldn't otherwise have a conversation with one another because of differences in locale, age, and yes, race. Because of this unique opportunity, minds once closed have been bridged, and we know that bridges expand land-- in this case we have expanded social bridges.

The BTG community offers you the opportunity to read-- to get a glimpse of what social engineers can do amid prison walls.

BIG SHOUT OUT TO MONTE "DIVERSIFIED DIVINE" MASSEY. WITHOUT YOUR CREATIVITY, PASSION, 7 VOLATILITY THERE WOULD BE NO BTG. WHERE YOU ARE REMEMBER:"Therefore we do not give up, but even if the man we are outside is wasting away, certainly the man we are inside is being renewed from day to day". 2 Cor. 4:16 (You've been blessed with a burden).